by Riley Storm
“That may have been what brought you here,” Haley teased, “but it’s Klaue that’s keeping you here.”
“I told you, there’s nothing going on between us,” she protested, but her denial just led to more laughter.
“Come back and tell us that after tonight,” Michelle said confidently.
Jessica shook her head. “Not to be rude, but you all don’t even know me. How can you be so sure?”
Nat smiled. “It’s a wedding, Jess. Things happen.”
“Things?” she asked nervously. “What things?”
“Things,” Loren said, drawing out the word. “With Klaue. Ten bucks says he makes a move tonight.”
Jessica gasped. “No, he won’t make a move!”
The other women just stared at her like she was blind, deaf, and dumb.
Her voice when she spoke again was little more than a squeak.
“Will he?”
20
Klaue stared at the door to the washroom, thoroughly confused.
Something was different. Very different. He’d been in the bedroom when Jessica waltzed back in from Nat’s, and she’d gone straight into the bathroom with barely a pause to say hello. The way she’d spoken, her body language, the tone of her voice as he sat in a chair talking to her through the door. It was all different.
Was it her confidence, perhaps? He couldn’t pinpoint it.
“Yeah, it was fun,” Jessica answered in that distracted tone of voice that said she was doing something, probably in the mirror, yet talking to him at the same time. “Nice ladies, really. Though I have a question for you.”
“Go for it.”
“How the hell do you keep it a secret that all of you aren’t human? Don’t any of the regular humans invited to this thing ever think it’s weird that you’re all huge and jacked?”
“All the time,” he said with a laugh. “We just laugh it off as being something in the water and proceed to have fun. You’d be surprised how quickly people can adapt and stop wondering about it. Otherwise, as long as we don’t, you know, shift into our animal form on the dance floor, it’s pretty tough for them to know about our true selves.
“I guess.”
She didn’t sound convinced, but that was the simple truth of it. As long as everyone acted normal, the memory of it would fade from people’s minds easily. This wasn’t the first wedding that Ursidae Manor had hosted that involved a swathe of regular humans mixing amongst the shifters.
“How long do you need?” she asked over the running water of the tap.
What the heck is she doing in there?
“Uh, I’m ready,” he said, pulling the jacket of his suit forward so it sat properly on his shoulders, top button only done up. It was a plain black number with sharp-cut lines. Underneath, he wore a white shirt so bright it almost looked silver, and a blood-red tie to complete the ensemble.
“Shoes?”
He looked down. “I’ll put them on when we leave?”
“Have they been shined?”
Klaue frowned at the door. “Are you dressing me?”
There was no hesitation in Jessica’s reply. “Yes.”
“I had them shined yesterday,” he answered, shaking his head as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He was enjoying the banter.
“What time is it?”
“4:46. We have fourteen minutes to get there,” he announced, glancing at the silver wristwatch he’d donned for the occasion.
“Shoes, please.” Jessica called.
“Where did you leave them?” he asked, looking around the entryway and on the couch nearby as well.
“I have mine. I meant yours, put them on please.”
“Oh. Okay.” Klaue was thoroughly disoriented by the change in dynamic between them, but he found himself putting on his shoes anyway because…why wouldn’t he? Yeah, that was definitely the reason. He was doing it because he had nothing else to do in the meantime. Not because she’d asked him to.
The water in the bathroom shut off, he then heard the sounds of heels clicking on the tiled floor. He stood up straight, adjusting his suit to ensure it was properly tucked in and sitting normally. When Jess walked out of the bathroom he wanted her to see him and be—
“Oh, wow,” he gasped as she opened the door. “You look like an angel.”
The light from the bathroom was still on, and it fell across Jess in a soft glow that picked up the soft rose-pink dress and created a shimmer about her. It was stunning.
“You’re stunning,” he said.
The dress hung in an angled cut starting a hair above the knee and dropping to mid-shin on the other side. It clung tightly to her hips and across the curve of her waist. The hemline plunged low enough to show ample cleavage, but left enough to the imagination not to be too scandalous. Thin straps looped over her shoulders to hold it in place.
Klaue kept his gaze moving upward, and when he met her eyes, he saw the twinkle of approval in the hazel orbs. She was happy, and felt beautiful, he could tell.
“Jess,” he breathed, looking at her hair. It was pulled up into some sort of intricate high bun shape that looked like it had taken hours to create. Hell, it probably had. The twirls and loops came down just low enough to accentuate her jawline. “Stunning.”
“Thanks,” she said demurely, lowering her head slightly as she blushed. He watched the red trail down her neck and across the top of her chest. It was quite an intriguing trail he wished he could follow further down.
Klaue tensed up, unsure of what to do now. His mind was fixated purely on the sight in front of him. He was positive in all his life he’d never seen something so beautiful.
Jessica walked out of the bathroom and did a little twirl. “You like?”
His eyes took in the way the dress hugged her rear and he nodded furiously. “Yup. Yes. You look amazing. Wow.”
She giggled. “Thanks!”
Klaue grinned. He couldn’t wait to take her to the wedding and show her off. Fuck what the others thought of her, none of their mates looked like that. The colors and the cut and fit, it was as if the dress had been made for her.
“May I?” he asked, holding out his arm for Jess to take.
He wasn’t sure if she would or not. She might be coming to the wedding as his date, but in her mind she wasn’t with him. They both knew that. Maybe this was a turning point though. Weddings could be weird like that, bringing out emotions and things from people.
“Why, how gentlemanly of you,” Jessica said with a smile, snaking her arm around his and resting her hand lightly on his forearm.
Yes, something had definitely changed. Just what the hell had Nat said to her, he wondered? Freaking girl talk, so mysterious. He would never understand what could be said in a few hours between them that he hadn’t been able to convey in several days.
They exited the room and headed toward the Grand Hallway. Already a spectacle on its own, it was now decorated with fresh flowers, white banners of fine silk and a thousand other decorations. House Ursa did things big.
“This is incredible. Look at all the history here,” Jess said, gaping at the tapestries and paintings on the wall of scenes from the history of House Ursa, including former Kings and Queens, historic battles and more. The closer they got to the Throne Room itself, the older things got, dating back almost to the founding of the House.
A set of ornate copper double doors was held open on their left and they joined the queue of other guests all lining up and slowly proceeding inside. Klaue nodded at several of the men under his command, some working, some with their mates or dates. They all returned his looks and nodded politely at Jess. None of them gave a shit, and he was buoyed at the reminder that not everyone in the House was being a jerk to his mate about the situation.
“Klaue and Jessica,” he said to the usher, a young member of the House he didn’t recognize. “Groom,” he supplied before the nervous teen could ask which side.
“Thank you,” the youngster breathed and showed th
em to their seat.
“This room is gigantic,” Jess observed as they walked two-thirds of the way down the nearly empty pew toward the front and sat.
The ballroom had been divided in two by white curtains. On the other side, he knew from experience would be the tables and such that people would sit at after the ceremony. While they ate, employees of the wedding company would clear out the pews and other decorations before taking down the barrier to turn this side into the dance floor. It was a finely-tuned thing at this point. The Grand Ballroom hosted a dozen or more weddings a year easily, some years twice that number.
He glanced over at his date once again, still marveling at how beautiful she was. Around them the press of the crowd grew, and he saw more than a handful of glares directed his way. Just as his men couldn’t care less about Jess, there were others more than willing to let their feelings be known, even in a situation like this.
Damn you, Canis. This is what your uprising has done. It’s fractured our House, turned Ursa against Ursa, and fostered suspicion everywhere. Nobody is willing to trust now, not after it was so painfully shattered.
He reached out and took Jess’ hand, giving it a squeeze to reassure her that everything was fine. Just then, the background music gave way to something a little stronger that took its place as the wedding party began to enter.
Klaue sat up straight and went to pull his hand back, but Jessica’s fingers tightened, pinning it in place. A ripple of surprise ran through him, but Klaue couldn’t do anything, not just then. All the focus was on the copper doors as they opened wide to admit Natalia.
Watching the ceremony unfold, Klaue later wouldn’t remember much of it. His mind was entirely focused on the woman next to him as he tried to puzzle out what the hell was going on. Why was she holding his hand? What had changed?
More importantly, what the heck did it mean?
21
“Thank you!” she shouted over the pulsing music, bouncing one hand in the air while vibing to the music.
Natalia just grinned, both hands holding tight to the bottom of her dress as she hiked it up so she could move. “I’m just glad you’re having fun!”
They were not there alone. The entire wedding party plus Jess was out on the dance floor, along with a number of others, shifters and humans each. The DJ was doing a great job of creating a fun atmosphere; she had to give him credit. Hitting up the dance floor was not a major pastime of Jessica’s, but she was having fun!
A large part of that was thanks to Natalia, Loren, Michelle, and Haley, all of whom had constantly come around to chat with her, involve her and most recently to force her to embarrass herself on the dance floor.
“He’s still staring,” Loren said as she leaned over from where she was dancing with some big shifter Jess didn’t recognize.
“What?”
“Klaue! He hasn’t taken his eyes off you.”
Natalia nodded smugly. “Of course he hasn’t. Look at her? She looks like a million bucks. Hell, I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes off her.”
The warmth in Jess’ cheeks wasn’t entirely from dancing. She wasn’t used to being the center of attention anywhere, but they were right, Klaue had barely looked away from her all night. Not to mention she’d caught more than a couple of admiring glances from others at the wedding.
All of which made ignoring the hateful looks easier. Many of the most ardent anti-Jessica supporters had left the wedding shortly after dinner had finished, and she’d been able to relax much more now.
“I owe it all to you,” she said, slowing her moves as she spoke to Nat.
The bride waved it off, but Jessica pushed on. “You’ve been wonderful to me since the moment Klaue knocked at your door. For no reason. It means a lot to me,” she said heavily, pushing back the guilt she was feeling.
The music died abruptly and Nat put an arm around her. “Klaue is a good guy, Jess. I like him. My husband likes him, as do a lot of other people around the House. If he picked you, well, then that means you’re alright in my books. He wouldn’t trust you otherwise.”
Slow chords of music swirled up, indicating a change in tune was coming. Nat grinned and reached in to grab Jess’ shoulders. “Okay, girl. Slow dance time, first one of the evening where the eyes aren’t all on me. Have fun.”
Jessica frowned and turned to see the other girls all paired up or heading to find their partners. Slow dance? With Klaue?
The nerves she’d been fighting back all afternoon came roaring in with a vengeance. Jessica panicked immediately and made a beeline for the bar. She needed a drink, something to fortify her will.
Klaue is a good guy.
The way Natalia had said it reverberated inside her, making Jess feel ill with a double dose of guilt that she wasn’t sure she could handle for much longer. First, there was her sister, languishing away inside Moonshadow Manor, a guest of Lorran’s still. They hadn’t yet resorted to using that connection against her, but Jessica knew it was only a matter of time. Still, there was nothing she could do about that, short of telling Klaue.
If she did that though, not only did she immediately put her sister’s life in grave danger, but she also put Klaue in a difficult, if not impossible, position. More so than the one he was already in because of her, which was the second source of guilt she was feeling. By bringing her to the wedding, Klaue had made it clear for everyone to see that he was taking her side in this, the consequences be damned.
Jessica didn’t feel worthy.
An arm reached out and snagged her as she was hurrying to the bar. It spun her around in a gentle twirl and then lifted her gently from her feet as Klaue picked her up, twisted her to the side and then moved with the last of her momentum back out onto the dance floor.
“Is everything okay?” he murmured in her ear, holding her just tight enough to make it clear he wasn’t going to let her run away.
Gently, they swayed to the music, shuffling around in a slow circle, their bodies less than an inch apart. It wouldn’t take much for her to relax into him, to rest her head on his chest as many of the other women were doing with their partners. That was what slow-dancing was for, after all. To be close to someone.
“No, everything is not okay,” she admitted. “But nothing is going to change that tonight.”
“Is someone giving you a hard time?” he growled. She saw his head twisting left and right, trying to pick out who.
She smiled, just looking at the suit he was wearing, admiring the way it fit him. “That’s not what I meant, Klaue. Those people are mostly gone anyway. Nat and the others have been keeping me distracted as well.”
“Do you want to leave?” Klaue sounded worried.
Slipping one hand free, she patted his chest. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just…there’s a lot going on up here,” she said, pointing at her head. “Lots of thoughts. Emotions.”
“I see.”
Jess couldn’t quite contain her smile at his blank tone. Klaue was trying to sound like he understood, but she knew better. Still, it was cute that he was trying.
Oh, what the hell, it can’t do any more damage.
Stepping ever so slightly closer to Klaue, she rested her head on his chest and let the huge shifter guide her around the floor, relaxing into the song. Another one came on afterward and she just kept swaying in time with the beat, one of Klaue’s massive hands holding hers, the other around her waist, a calming pressure. She’d resisted getting this close at first, but the truth was, Jessica no longer knew if she wanted to resist anymore. How could she, when it felt so nice to be close to him?
“I was wondering something,” he rumbled after a bit.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Will you come watch again tomorrow?”
Jess lifted her head so she could look up at him and meet his eyes. There had been an uncharacteristic amount of desire in his question. This was something Klaue wanted badly. “Watch what?”
“The next fight.”
; She tensed. Watch him go fight? What if he got hurt? How was she supposed to deal with that? Still, the manner in which he’d asked—and the fact he’d asked, not assumed!—meant this was a big deal to him. The idea of watching him beat another man with his fists in some sort of ritual combat didn’t appeal to her in the slightest, but if Klaue needed her support, could Jessica even deny him if she wanted to, after all he’d done for her?
“Okay,” she said at last. “But you had better not get hurt. I don’t want to see you like that, got it?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he said with a chuckle that they both knew meant he couldn’t guarantee a damn thing.
They fell silent after that. The music continued, a smooth change into another slow song. Some couples drifted from the floor, others who’d arrived as formerly single guests paired up under the soft, dimmed lighting.
At one point, her eyes closed and she let herself go, giving in completely. There was something different about Klaue compared to his fellow shifters, but she couldn’t quite identify just what it was. He was more attractive, of course, but Jess was old enough to realize that could just as easily be subjective as reality.
Klaue’s chin came to rest against her head, turning her mouth into the Sahara instantly. Somehow, the added contact was different from having her head leaning on his chest. It was another layer of closeness between them. Once again, Jess was reminded of how he’d kissed her forehead in the fight against the mage.
Something so brief that it could just as easily have been washed away in the chaos of the moment, was still stuck with her. She couldn’t remember how his lips felt, but she vividly remembered the moment. His hand wrapped around the back of her head as he pulled her in close, the magic exploding around them. It was fierce and intimate all at once.
The memory sparked an increase in her pulse. Or was that because Klaue was sliding his hand up her side? He didn’t touch her inappropriately, but his knuckles did drag across the exposed skin of her upper chest and across her collarbone.
“Jessica,” Klaue said softly, his voice sending chills down her spin as he cupped her chin.
